Changes
by Forestrosesprite
Summary: Edward returns to Forks after four years to find out just how much Bella's life as changed, and how much his own life will change. ExB. Epov. All Human.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Edward returns to Forks after four years to find out just how much has changed in Bella's life, and how much his will change.

**POV:** Edward

**Disclaimer:** I own the laptop this was written on and that's about it.

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1**

Forks. I hadn't been back in so long. This was the place I had grown up. Most of my life had been spent in this tiny little town. I hadn't been back in four years.

The town hadn't changed much in four years. The shops were mostly the same, some different colors but really no big differences. The high school had a new auditorium that had not been there when I graduated. The park had gotten a new play structure. But all in all it was the same little town that I had grown up in.

Despite the town's lack of change in the last four years, I had changed vastly. Four years of college will do that to a person. There had been apartments, parties, friends both new and old, and girlfriends, lots and lots of girlfriends. I was older now, more mature than I had been four years ago. I was a man. I had a college degree. I had a well paying job. I was ready to begin my new life. I tried not to linger on the fact that after four years I was moving back in with my parents.

My family moved from Forks a few weeks after I graduated. High school was over for the children of the family and it was time to move on. My parents moved to Chicago while I went on to Dartmouth. We packed up and left out lives here in this little town behind.

We all missed it, all seven of us. Dad missed the hospital, mom missed the community, Emmett, Alice and I missed being close and Rosalie and Jasper, the foster twins, missed it to. When mom said she had enough of the city and wanted to move back, she had not expected the children to come back either, but we did. We couldn't stay away.

We had moved back into the old house a few days before. As the kids grew our relationships changed. I would no longer share a room with Emmett, nor Alice with Rosalie. Rosalie and Emmett now shared the girls' old room. Alice had moved in with Jasper. And I was left to myself. When Carlisle and Esme had found out about these arrangements between their kids they hadn't been surprised.

"It wasn't what I had expected when we took the twins in," my mom said, "but I guess we can officially be a big happy family."

Carlisle only smiled and said; "I guess it's a good thing that Rose and Jasper turned eighteen before we got it in our minds to adopt them. That would have made things a lot more difficult."

The family was happy. We were whole once again. Back in the house where it had all began. It would take some time for me to get used to having my own room, but I doubted that I would dislike it.

Driving through Forks for the first time in four years brought so many different memories back to me. There was the sporting goods store where we bought all of our camping stuff. There was the library that had a pitiful amount of books. There was the salon where Alice and Rose had worked summers. But everywhere I went, everything I saw, reminded me of Bella.

Bella. I had not seen her since the night before I left. We had been best friends for so long and had lost touch so easily.

Bella and I met in kindergarten. We weren't friends then, but I always liked to pull her pigtails. As we grew she became friends with Alice and then Rose. Eventually, when we finally reached the age when the opposite sex no longer had cooties, Bella and I became friends.

The word "inseparable" was what was usually used to describe us. From junior high on everything we did we did it together. Partners in crime, my mom used to joke. We did school projects with each other, hung out every weekend and many nights together, when a school dance came around and neither of us had a date we would always go together.

Bella and I listened carefully to each other when one of us gave the other advice on a relationship. Bella had got me out of a few bad ones before they blew up in my face. I got her away from a guy that was obviously cheating on her. I held her when she cried over some guy. She helped me burn the pictures of the first girl who broke my heart.

Bella and I shared many first experiences. We tried sushi together. We learned to drive together. We saw our first rated "R" movie together. Even our first dates had happen simultaneously at the request of our parents.

And then there was the last night we ever spent together. The last time I ever saw her.

_The fireworks exploded in the sky over First Beach. Bella and I sat together on the sand, side by side, necks craned towards the sky. _

_I turned to look at her, sadness filling my heart. She had been my best friend for years. What was I going to do without her? We had known for some time that we would be going to different schools, but now we didn't even have the promise of breaks together. _

_I realized that Bella was looking back at me. She still looked so sweet and young with her hair up in pigtails. She smiled at me. _

"_You okay, Edward?"_

_I sighed, "Yeah. I'm just thinking about how much I'm going to miss you." _

_She laughed and threw her arms around my neck. "Like I'm not going to miss you? Jeez Edward, stop being so melodramatic. We promised that tonight we would be happy and fun. Not sad. If you get sentimental on me then I am going to get all weepy. I didn't plan weepy into tonight."_

_I rolled my eyes. "What else could you possibly have planned for tonight?"_

_We had spent all day together. We had spent most of the afternoon on Port Angeles and the evening down in La Push. The Fourth of July fireworks were almost at an end and I had suspected that the evening was coming to a close, but Bella seemed to have other ideas. _

_She stood up and took my hand, pulling me along with here. "There's one place I still want to go. One last time."_

_It was silent in the meadow. Our meadow. It was the one place in the world that only belonged to Bella and I. We had discovered it in our sophomore year of high school. We had been out hiking and I had wondered away from the trail, insisting that we go on an adventure. Bella had protested, but never regretted allowing me to lead once we had stumbled upon this little patch of heaven. _

_It was surprisingly warm that night, even for July in Washington. We lay in the grass looking up at the stars. Tonight Bella had insisted that we weren't allowed to talk about the past, only the future. _

_Bella talked about all the places she wanted to see once she got her journalism major. I told her that I would go to, if she wanted me to. She wanted to travel alone, she had said, but maybe she could put up with me in a country our two. _

_We talked about my plans for music. She made me promise that once I was a composer that I wouldn't record the lullaby that I had written for her, even though it was the best thing that had ever come out of my brain. She wanted to keep it all to herself. It was for her, she could do whatever she wanted with it. _

"_Any regrets?" she asked me out of nowhere. _

"_What?"_

"_Do you have any regrets about high school?" _

"_I thought we weren't talking about the past, Bella," I teased. _

"_We're not. We're talking about things that didn't happen. What do you regret not doing?"_

_I thought about it for a moment. Once I had the answer I resolved not to tell her. _

"_What is it Edward?" She knew the look on my face. She knew that I didn't want to answer her._

"_I'm not telling you."_

"_Why?" she whined. _

_I blushed. _

"_Edward Cullen you are blushing!" she squealed. "Now you have to tell me."_

"_No." I crossed my arms over my chest and shut my mouth tight._

_She got an evil grin on her face and I knew that I would regret not telling her. Before I knew what was happening she had me pinned to the ground and was tickling me. I tried to push her off, but was too afraid of hurting her to use and real force. She knew that she always had that advantage over me, my guilt for being the stronger one. _

"_Fine, fine I'll tell you." _

_She grinned triumphantly and returned to her spot next to me. I rolled on my side to look at her and she matched me. _

"_Promise you wont think badly of me?" I asked. I cringed at the amount of insecurity I could hear leaking out of my voice. _

"_Edward, you could tell me that you drown live puppies and I still wouldn't be able to think badly of you," she laughed. _

_I sighed, hoping that she was telling the truth. "I—I had always hoped that when I started college," I paused. I really really didn't want to continue. Bella's kind eyes and comforting smile urged me on. "I didn't want to be a virgin when I started college." She didn't say anything, which made me feel compelled to go on. "I guess that I'm out of luck now, huh? It's not a big deal, though, really. I had just always thought that—" Her lips cut me off. _

_People had always been suspicious of the nature of out relationship, but to be completely honest, Bella and I were never anything more than friends. As far as I knew neither of us ever even entertained the idea of being more since we were much younger. That's why her kiss shocked me so much._

_I pushed her off me. "Bella, what are you doing?"_

_She smiled at me. "Giving you what you want."_

"_Bella, I—" She pressed her fingers to my lips._

"_I know, you didn't necessarily want me, but come on Edward, it makes sense. Out of all the girls in this town who would you honestly want to lose your virginity to?" _

_I thought about it long and hard. I had dated several girls in high school, none of whom seemed to be worth it. They were all too extravagant for me. It just never felt right._

_Then there was Bella, my best friend in the whole world. I trusted this girl with my life. She knew everything about me, even my deepest darkest most embarrassing secrets. She was laying next to me smiling at me in the most reassuring way. _

_It was the last time we would ever really get to be together and we both knew it. She was asking me to share something special with her. One last first experience. _

"_Think of it as my way of making sure that you don't forget me." _

_I reached towards her to brush her hair behind her ear. "As if I ever could."_

"_Alright then, think of it as 'goodbye.'"_

_I smiled softly, and then pulled her close, hugging her against my body. I was going to miss Bella everyday of my life. _

_My lips found hers. Bella tasted like strawberries. In all the years we had been friends I was astounded that this was the first moment that I had ever tasted her. Her soft mouth opened under mine and our tongues met. _

_When breathing became necessary I pulled away, looking deeply into her sparkling brown eyes. I rolled her under me, pressing her into the cool grass. "Are we really doing this?"_

_Bella smiled at me, I would miss that smile. "Yes."_

That night was still the best night of my life. Afterward we had walked back to my car and driven home in contented silence. Our parents didn't question our late arrivals home, they knew it was our last night together. I left Bella on her doorstep with one last hug, promising to email her as soon as I got to Chicago and reminding her that I would never forget her.

I never did forget her. It was impossible to go through my life without Bella coming to my mind. She had been such a large part of my life that it would have been impossible for me to forget her, even if I tried.

We had lost touch though. It was not for my lack of trying. At first I got emails from her every day. Phone calls on the weekends. When school started I only got emails once a week at most, and they were always short and nondescript.

Bella admitted to me that she never got to start college. Charlie had a heart attack just before she was set to go and there was no way that she was going to leave him like that. She was busy, so I never thought much about her drifting away.

I had my own life developing at that point. I didn't even notice at first when the emails stopped coming. It was almost Christmas before I realized that I hadn't heard from Bella in a month. I had sent her one last email, but she never sent one back. I thought about her everyday though, just like I had promised.

Bella was the main reason that I was so excited to move back to Forks. I had no idea what had happened with her and even if she was off at school or traveling just like she had wanted then I could still hear about it from her father and her friends that she was still sure to have here.

I pulled into the grocery store, the reason for my drive around the town. We had moved back in two nights before and up until that point we had been living off of take out food. My mother had sent me to the grocery store so that we could have some real food.

I wandered the aisles, acquainting myself with the new layout of the grocery store. Along the back wall I saw what I thought was a hallucination.

"Bella?"

She was putting milk into a very full looking cart. She turned to face me when her name was spoken. Bella looked older, tired. If I had aged four years Bella had aged ten. She wore jeans and an old sweater that looked terrible on her. Her face looked sallow and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her neck. The look on her face was blank.

"Bella!" I rushed over to her and flung my arms around her. She stiffened in my arms then relaxed enough to give me an awkward hug.

"Bella, I haven't heard from you in three and a half years. How have you been?"

She smiled weakly, "All right, I guess. You? How was college? Was it everything that I heard it was?"

This statement shocked me. "What? You never got out of here? Bella, what happened to all of your plans?"

She sighed. "Sometimes plans change, Edward. I found myself too tied down to this place to leave."

"Bella, I—"

"Momma?" a voice came from nowhere. I was surprised to see Bella react.

We both looked down to see a tiny figure pulling at the hem of Bella's sweater. "Momma," it said. "Can I get this one?" The tiny person was holding up a coloring book.

Bella took the book from the child's hands and flipped through it. "Sure sweetie," she smiled down at the child and threw the book into the cart.

I was in shock. Bella had a child. Bella had never wanted children, one of the drastic differences between the two of us. I glanced to her hand and saw no wedding ring. Of course not, Bella didn't wan to get married.

She bent over and picked the child up heaving it into her arms. When Bella stood up again, two pairs of her eyes were looking back at me. But what was also looking back at me was my mothers face, my sisters face, my face. The delicate face of a cherub framed in bronze colored curls. My heart stopped.

"Nessie," Bella said, bouncing the little girl on her hip, "this is Edward. He's an old friend of mine."

Nessie shyly buried her face into her mother's neck.

"We should go," Bella said. "If we don't get home soon someone is going to be late for her nap." She sighed. "It was nice to see you again Edward."

She pushed the cart away, disappearing down an aisle to the front of the store, leaving me alone in my shock.

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**Yay! I finally got the first chapter up. I insisted on writing the whole thing before posting any of it. Chapters are short so I will try to make it no more than a week between postings. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Summary:** So after four years Edward discovers that Bella has a three year old who looks an awful lot like him. I think it's pretty safe to assume that she is Edward's seeing as this is a ExB story, so yeah. Enjoy the mindless fluff.

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**Chapter 2**

The road between my house and Bella's had not changed a bit since the day I left. When I was a teenager I knew this route like the back of my hand. Every rock and every tree were just the way I left them.

I parked in front of her house. The police cruiser was not in its old space, instead the monster that Bella had insisted on buying when she turned sixteen sat in the driveway. I was surprised to see that the old piece of junk still ran. I knew that as long as it worked Bella would drive it.

I pulled up to the curb and got out of my car. The path the Bella's door was, as always a familiar one. I pulled open the screen and knocked on the wood of the door.

"Just a minuet!" Bella's voice called from inside.

The door opened to Bella's smiling face. After a moment her face fell slightly. "Edward," she exhaled.

"Hi," was all I could think to say.

"Come in," she stepped to the side, letting me walk through into the familiar hallway.

The house was different. The childhood pictures of Bella no longer lined the walls. Charlie's gun belt wasn't hung up by the door. The faint smell of gunpowder and lake water that had always filled the little house was gone. The house now smelt like dish soap, bleach and crayons.

I followed Bella through to the kitchen where she seemed to be working on a stack of dirty dishes. I heard a faint rustling of paper and turned my head to the kitchen table.

There she sat. Part of me had come to prove to myself that I wasn't hallucinating. The tiny little girl sat with her coloring book, coloring it with Crayola markers. The sides of her hands where a bluish black color from leaning them on the wet ink. She looked up at me as I walked in.

"Hi," she smiled, her previous shyness vanished.

"Hi," I said back. I momentarily forgot how to breathe when the little girl smiled at me.

Bella bit her lip nervously. "Nessie sweetie, can you please clean up?"

"Yes momma," the little girl nodded and swept her collection of markers into their little yellow box. She picked up her book along with the markers and brought them over to where Bella and I were standing.

Bella crouched on the floor, making herself eye level with the little girl. "Very good sweetie. Now please take those up to your room, okay? And while your up there why don't you wash the marker off of your arms." Bella smiled and took one of the girl's tiny hands, showing her the marks that traveled all the way up to her elbows. The little girl laughed. "And don't forget to wash your face to," Bella teased, thumbing the green streak across her daughter's cheek.

"Okay momma," she laughed and headed up the stairs.

Bella turned back to the sink and began washing her dishes.

"I'm surprised to see you. I thought that you were just passing through the other day." She was trying to keep her voice as casual as possible.

"No, we moved back."

Bella paused for a moment to control her reaction. "The whole family? Really? Well, I stay out of town as much as possible, so I don't hear a lot of gossip."

"So, where's your dad?"

"He—um—married Sue Clearwater about a year and a half ago. She didn't want to move off the reservation so her moved down there with her." Bella shrugged. "He was always down there anyway. You remember."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I just thought, when I saw that your pictures were gone and, well last heard from you he just had a heart attack. I thought—"

"You thought the worst. No, Charlie is fine." Bella kept her head bent low over her work, refusing to look at me. I was getting a little frustrated, carrying on a conversation with the back of Bella's head.

"Why did he—what happened?"

"Um, it was when I told him about Nessie. It came as a bit of a shock to him."

Silence, aside from the sound of running water. "Were you ever going to tell me—?"

"Does it matter?" Bella turned to me, her eyes hard.

"Yes, it matters!" How could she think that it didn't matter? "Why didn't you tell me?"

Bella dried her hands off and leaned against the sink. "I thought about it, I almost did a few times. Do you remember the first time I didn't call?"

I nodded.

"That was the day I found out. My mom miscarried a few times before she had me, I wanted to be sure before I told you anything. But then, every time I heard from you all I heard was how much fun you were having at school and all the people you were meeting. Your life had started. You were finally getting the life that you had wanted since we were kids. I—I couldn't be the person to take you away from all that."

I felt a rush of guilt. "Bella, you wouldn't have taken me away from anything."

She laughed wryly. "Edward, I know you better than that. If I had told you that I was pregnant I knew that you would leave everything—school, your friends—behind and that the next day you would be on my doorstep asking me to marry you. I knew that I would have said 'yes' because I was scared. But neither of us wanted that. I didn't want you to give up everything just because it was the right thing to do. I would have never forgiven myself for taking away your life."

I felt crushed. "Bella, what about your life?"

She smiled. "Nessie is my life."

"You never wanted kids."

"No, I didn't," she admitted. "But don't think that I regret having her. The moment the nurse handed her to me was the best moment of my life. I don't regret anything. Sure it wasn't the life I planned, or even wanted, but plans change."

"So what happens now?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "Absolutely nothing."

"Bella, she's my daughter!"

"No she isn't," Bella said blankly.

"Oh, so you slept with someone else who happened to look just like me?" I said sarcastically.

"Edward, you walked into a grocery store and saw a little girl who happened to look a lot like you. It happens all the time. In your life you could see a hundred kids that could be yours, that doesn't make them yours. The only difference between those kids and Nessie is that—yeah—biologically she is you daughter, but that doesn't change anything. She's not, not really. She doesn't have a father."

"I could be her father."

"Edward, I made this choice so that you could live your life. Don't make my decision pointless. If you come back now, then I may as well have told you then." Bella placed her hands on my shoulders. "Live your life Edward. Forget about us. Nessie doesn't need a father."

She let go of me and walked back to the sink. "It was nice to see you again. You're looking good. I have to get dinner started."

I took that as her subtly asking me to leave. I walked towards the door, my hand stilled on the knob. I opened my mouth to speak.

"Just forget us Edward." Bella looked out the window into nothingness.

"I promised I wouldn't."

********

I swore loudly as I stormed into the house. The door slammed loudly behind me, upsetting everyone sitting in the front room.

"Edward," My mother asked. "What is it?"

I shook my head and collapsed on the couch, my head in my hands. Within moments I could feel my whole family surrounding me. Six pairs of worried eyes were looking at me.

I felt Alice's small hands on my shoulder. "Edward, what's going on?"

I could feel my whole body shaking under my sister's gentle touch. "The other day, when I went to the store, I ran into Bella," I explained. I was having difficulty forming my words. How could I tell the only people that I loved about the worst thing that I had ever done? "She—apparently the reason we lost touch was because she was too busy carrying our child." There, it was out. The words hung in the silence of the room, waiting to be absorbed.

My whole family was startled. I could feel their surprised looks; I didn't need to look at them to know their thoughts. The disbelief, the worry, the disappointment.

"Dude," Emmett said. "When did that happen?"

I took a deep breath. Despite wanting to give out as little information as possible I knew that I owed my family some sort of explanation. "That last night--I had been complaining about starting college a virgin." I couldn't look at my mother as I said this so I kept my eyes focused on the white carpet. "I gave her the idea. She—she said that it would be our way of saying goodbye. She wanted to make sure that we wouldn't forget each other."

"I guess it worked," Rosalie snorted. "She wont be forgetting you anytime soon." Rose was upset at me. Not as upset as I was with myself though.

"Edward," Alice said, "That's not entirely what's upsetting you, is it?" Alice knew me far too well. The girl could predict my words before I said them.

I twisted my fingers in my lap. "I went over to the house today. She told me why she didn't want me to know. She didn't want me coming back here to take care of her. She wanted me to live my life. She didn't want me to miss anything. She gave up everything, but refused to let me lose anything. She wanted to travel, to see the world. Bella didn't want kids. I—I destroyed her life." I buried my face back in my hands. I was a despicable person.

Esme put an arm around me. "Edward, did she say that?"

"No, she said that she was happy. She said none of it mattered after the first time she held her—our daughter."

Esme smiled at me. "Some women don't become mothers until their first born is in their arms." My mother was trying to make me not feel like the terrible person that I was.

"Mom, I have a daughter. For the last three years I've been a father, and I didn't even know. She's the most beautiful little girl you've ever seen, and Bella doesn't want me to be a part of her life. Bella wants me to have my own life."

Carlisle spoke. "Edward, maybe you should follow Bella's wishes."

"I don't think that I can. She's my child. I can't just pretend that she doesn't exist."

"Edward, before yesterday you didn't even know that she existed. Why can't you?"

********

There was a soft knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in, Alice."

Alice opened the door and sighed as she took me in. I was lying in the center of my bed, curled up in a ball. I had been staring blankly at the wall for over an hour now.

Alice said nothing, but climbed up on the bed next to me. She pulled my head into her lap and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly.

"Alice," my voice cracked, "what should I do?" Whenever someone needed advice about their future, Alice was the person to talk to.

"I don't know," she said sadly. "I really don't know."

We sat like that for some time, my sister just holding me. I heard my bedroom door squeak open and closed as Emmett walked in. He settled himself down on my couch and fell easily into the silence that Alice and I were surrounded in.

"How's mom?" I managed to ask after some time.

"She's trying not to react," Emmett sighed, leaning forward, his hands clasped. "You know how much she wants a grandkid, but she knows that if Bella doesn't want us to be a part of her life then we wont."

I closed my eyes, it was all too much. Not only did I have to deal with the fact that I had a child, I had to deal with the fact that the mother didn't want me involved and know my own mother trying not to involve herself.

"Edward," Emmett asked. "How do you really feel about this, I mean really? No guilt, nothing. How do you really feel?"

"What?"

"Do you want to be a part of this kids life or not? If you could forget that she exists, go on with your life, would you want to? Bella is giving you the opportunity to do that. She's letting you off the hook. You could go and do whatever you wanted, meet some other girl and start a family with her. There's nothing stopping you from doing that."

Emmett was always the practical one. He wanted me to shuck of my emotions and just make a decision based entirely on what I wanted. What I wanted was all that mattered.

"Emmett, she's my daughter. If I could forget about her I wouldn't. From the moment I realized that I had a child, nothing else mattered. Everything I ever thought I would do, everything I've ever wanted to do vanished the first time I saw her. None of that matters any more."

"Well," Emmett sighed, "then I think that you shouldn't give up. She's your kid, you have every right to be a part of her life."

Emmett was making sense, to me. Something must have been horribly wrong.

"Alice?" I asked.

"I agree with Emmett," she started slowly. Her eyes looked distant and unfocused, as through she were trying to peer through the fabric of time. "But you have to take Bella's wishes into consideration. Talk to Bella; let her see that you really want this, like you feel like you'd be losing something if you let it go. Maybe she'll change her mind."

I sighed. The Bella I had been best friends with all those years ago was the most stubborn person that I've ever known. How was I going to convince her to change her mind?

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**Yay for angsty Edward! Do you think that he might be just a little bit prone to over-reaction? Or self loathing? That's why we love him, I guess.**

**Thanks for reading! I'll put up chapter 3 soon. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I am a 19 year old college student. I own nothing.

**Summary:** So, Bella wants Edward to go on and live his own life without her and Nessie. Edward wants to be in his daughters life. What will happen next? *Mysterious music*

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**Chapter 3**

The park was empty at 9:30 on a Wednesday. The air had a cold biting edge that would have kept most mothers inside. The air felt like it was moments away from raining.

I saw Nessie first, bundled up in a pink fleece sweater, happily digging sand into a bucket. She seemed contented by herself. She didn't need other children to be happy. She probably rarely ever played with kids her own age.

Bella sat on a bench, watching her daughter. I knew Bella would be avoiding the questioning eyes of the town. She would only bring Nessie out when there was the fewest possible people. Bella had braved the cold weather this morning so her daughter could enjoy some time at the empty park.

I sat down next to Bella on the bench. Bella didn't react to my presence. It seemed as though she was expecting me. We watched Nessie in silence.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" she asked. I could hear the resignation in Bella's voice.

"Nope," I replied, finality in my own voice. I had decided the best way to deal with this was to fight fire with fire. If Bella was going to be stubborn then so was I.

"How did you know that we'd be here?"

"I had a hunch." Bella gave me a disbelieving look. "No one comes to the park this early on a Wednesday. Plus, it's cold, everybody is inside."

Bella smiled, "Nessie likes the cold, just like her—" Bella sighed, "—just like you."

Bella didn't want to admit out loud that I was Nessie's father. She would admit that I had fathered Nessie, but calling me Nessie's father was too much. That would have just meant that I had won.

"I never told anyone," she said after some time, "that it was you. Most people suspected early on, but I never said anything. I never even told Charlie. I'm sure he's figured it out, though. She looks too much like you." Bella smiled. "I always hoped that she would look like you. She looks more like you than I could of hoped. Of course, now people always know. And they know that I never told you. You would have come back. You're a good person."

She sighed deeply. "Why don't you just go live your life, Edward?"

I watched Nessie dig for a moment. She was smiling to herself. My little girl. "My life changed the moment I saw her."

Bella shook her head. "I didn't want it to." Her voice sounded sad.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Bella" I turned to look at her. Bella didn't meet my eyes. "I know now. I'm not going anywhere."

Bella's eyes fell to her lap. "I know," she said. "As I said, you're a good person. If you want to get to know her, fine, but I'm not telling her. I'm not ready to admit that yet."

I nodded. "I understand. You don't have to tell her anything. Not yet, at least."

At that moment Nessie got to her feet and toddled over to us. "Momma, look!" she was holding up a leaf with a pretty green and yellow pattern. She handed the leaf to Bella, who smiled. Nessie looked at me with her mother's eyes. "Hi," she said again.

"Hello," I leaned forward to her eye level.

"You've got pretty eyes," she smiled at me.

I laughed, "So do you. But I think yours are prettier because they're just like your mommies." I saw Bella flush out of the corner of my eye.

"Do you want to help me build a sand castle?" Nessie asked excitedly.

"Nessie honey, I don't think that Edward—"

"I'd love to," I cut Bella off.

Nessie smiled at me and held out her hand. It was so small and soft in mine. My precious little girl. She tugged on me and dragged me over to her abandoned bucket and shovel in the sand box.

She plunked herself down in the sand and began to shovel the moist dirt into her bucket. "Momma helps me most of the time," Nessie explained as I sat down, "but she's been thinking a lot. When she thinks she can't play with me." Nessie turned the bucket upside down and pulled it up. A bucket shaped pile of wet sand stood in its place. She turned her bucket back over and began again.

"Nessie is a very pretty name," I began. I honestly had no idea how to speak to children.

"My mommy named me Renesmee, but I don't like it. Grandpa and Uncle Seth always call me Nessie. I like it better." She turned the bucket over again, this time half of the tower of sand slid away. I braced myself for a tantrum, but instead she just giggled and began again.

"That's a very pretty sweater you have on." I seemed to think that everything was pretty today.

Nessie scrunched up her nose at my comment.

"You don't like it?" I asked

"I don't like pink. Grandma Sue gets me the old clothes that the other girls where she lives grew out of. They like pink, I don't."

My daughter was wearing old hand me downs. I knew that Alice and Rose would put a stop to that as soon as Bella allowed.

Nessie and I talked for a while. I learned that she like the color green, fruit, cats, the rain, coming to the park, going to see her grandpa, her Uncle Seth and when Bella read her poetry. She didn't like to eat green foods, naps, lace, and pink.

She asked me about myself and I told her that I wrote music. She asked if she knew anything that I wrote and I told her 'probably not.' She asked me about my family and I told her that I had a sister and a brother. I had some difficulty explaining Rose and Jasper to her. She said that she wanted a sister but Bella said 'no.' This made her sad.

"I don't have anyone to play with!" she whined. "All the girls at the reservation are older than me. Momma says I'm too little to play with them. I don't know anybody here."

"I'll be your friend," I said.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes wide. "You'll come play with me when Momma is too busy?"

I smiled. "Just tell her to call me, anytime, and I'll be there. I promise."

Nessie invited me back to the house so that I could see her bedroom. The color hadn't changed since Bella was living in it. It was littered with a few toys and some ragged looking stuffed animals, but mostly books. Nessie coaxed me into Bella's old rocking chair and asked me to read 'Frog and Toad are Friends' to her, saying that she liked my voice.

I spent the whole day at Bella's house. I played with Nessie, helped her work on her coloring book and read to her. Nessie and I helped Bella make dinner and afterwards she forced me to watch 'The Little Mermaid.'

At 8 o'clock Nessie's eyes stated to droop and Bella carried her upstairs. I stayed in the kitchen making plans for the next day. Bella came back down the stairs looking tired. She stood at the bottom and looked at me. Even after all those years I still knew her so well. I knew that she was happy, even though her face didn't show it.

Before Bella had a chance to react she was in my arms. This time she completely relaxed into my hug

"Thank you, Edward," she sighed.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," I muttered into her hair. I held Bella out at arms length so that I could look into her eyes. "Bella, I told Nessie that if she ever needed me, or ever wanted to see me, just to have you call me. I want you to do the same. If you ever need me, day or night, just call and I'll be here faster than you can imagine."

"I know," Bella smiled. "I still remember your driving."

I laughed at her teasing and pulled her back into me. "You're not going to be doing this alone anymore," I promised. "I'll always be here."

* * *

**Edward rides up on a white horse and saves that day!!! Again. I love writing dialog for Nessie, but I don't actually know and three year olds so I don't know if I'm making her too smart. If so, Ooops. She's just really really smart. She is Edward's kid after all. **

**Thanks for reading. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Trust me, no one is paying me to do this. Nobody pays me to do anything.

**Summary:** So Edward gets to be with his daughter, even though she doesn't know. How will all of this change the dynamic of Edward and Bella's relationship?

* * *

**Chapter 4**

I arrived in front of Bella's house at 9:00 the next morning. Before going inside I forced the passenger door of Bella's rusty truck open and pulled out Nessie's slightly tattered car seat. As I fixed it into the back seat of my car I decided that I would have to get them a new one, this one didn't look to safe. I put that on my list of things to do that day.

Bella and Nessie were already waiting for me inside. Bella looked better, younger and happier, like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She wore her hair down for what looked like the first time in years and she smiled, really smiled.

"Edward!" Nessie cried when I let myself in. She launched herself at my knees and almost knocked me over with her exuberant hug.

"How are my girls this morning?" I asked, threading my fingers gently through Nessie's curls.

Bella swatted at me playfully. Back in high school I had always called Bella and my sisters 'my girls.' I hadn't called her 'my girl' in years.

I crouched down to Nessie's eye level. "Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yes," she squeaked, bouncing out the door towards my car before I even had the chance to stand back up.

Bella got Nessie into her car seat and climbed in the front next to me. It felt like when we were kids again, going out just to spend the day together.

"Drive like a human," Bella reminded me. I tended to go over the speed limit when I got excited.

I glared at Bella. As if I would do something that dangerous with my daughter in the car.

I not only drove the speed limit, but I actually took my time on the drive to Port Angeles. While I drove Nessie talked non-stop. Occasionally Bella got in a word or two, but Nessie was a little chatterbox.

"Takes after Alice," I muttered to Bella who grinned and nodded. I had to make sure to get Bella back into contact with my sisters. Back in high school, if Bella wasn't with me she was with Alice and Rose.

Nessie bounced in her seat as we drove through Port Angeles. Once out of the car, Bella and I each had to take one of Nessie's hand to prevent our over excited daughter from getting away from us.

From the outside we must have looked like the perfect family. Despite Nessie's striking resemblance to me, anyone could tell by looking that she was Bella's daughter. This felt right, Bella and I with Nessie in between us, connecting us together.

After a few hours Bella began to remind me of her old self again. We were joking and laughing like the four years had never happened. We were just kids again. Happy, the way it should be. The way it would have been if I hadn't left.

Bella didn't even notice me subtly buying things for Nessie, at first.

"Edward, you don't have to do this," Bella insisted when she saw me eyeing car seats.

"That old contraption is ready to fall apart. I'm going to have that piece of plastic responsible for my child's safety. Nessie," I called her over from the toy section. "Which one of these do you like the best?"

Nessie was overjoyed. It was the first time that she had ever had knew things. From what Bella told me Charlie still owned the house and Bella made enough money doing some editing for the local paper to pay for and the bills, everything else came from second hand stores.

Bella was able to take little jobs here and there. Things that could be emailed to her and she could do on her laptop while Nessie was otherwise occupied. It wasn't the job that Bella had dreamed of, but work was work.

"Have you ever thought about going to school?" I asked.

"Well, yeah," she said. "But I couldn't even consider it an option until Nessie's in school and even then I won't want to be more than a phone call away from her."

"You should think about it. I mean I work from home mostly, so if you wanted to go to the community college I could look after Nessie. I'm sure that Esme would love to spend some time with her to. Just think about it."

The three of us walked out on the pier and I snapped up pictures of Bella and Nessie to show to my family. Bella wrestled the camera away from me and took several pictures of Nessie and I as well. The Nessie got it in her head that she wanted to play with the camera to. She would not move until Bella agreed to allow Nessie to take a few pictures of Bella and I. Then she walked right up to some random person and asked them to take a picture of the three of us. Bella and I could not help but laugh at our daughter's confidence.

Bella laughed when I took them to "La Bella Italia." It had been Bella's favorite restaurant when we were kids, mainly because she claimed that it was named after her.

"It hasn't changed a bit," she said when we walked through the door.

When I asked for a table the hostess leaned over the podium, giving me a good view down her dress. I cringed away in mortification.

"Not one bit," Bella laughed at my embarrassment after that display.

I had always been astounded that whenever we came here the waitresses always insisted on flirting with me. Even though I wasn't dating Bella I had found it very rude that they would act that way when I was obviously there with her. It shocked me even more that night because, not only was I there with Bella, but with a little girl who was obviously our daughter. You had to be blind to not see her similarities to Bella as well as me. I decided that I would never understand women.

Bella, non-surprisingly, ordered the same thing that she always ordered every time we came here, making me laugh. Even after all these years I still could predict the next thing that would come out of her mouth.

While we ate I contemplated my situation. This is where Bella and I had come that last night, just before heading to La Push to see the fireworks. Despite the fact that it was the Fourth of July this little place had stayed open, allowing Bella and I to spend, what I had thought was, one last night here. I began to think that many of those things that Bella and I had done that night, things that we had done for the last time, didn't have to be for the last time. Then I blushed when I thought about what that statement might have implied.

Nessie had fallen asleep in her booster seat before the check even came. Bella allowed me to carry Nessie back to the car.

"You're just trying to put something between you and that waitress," Bella teased, but she knew that I just wanted to hold my daughter.

Nessie's head drooped on my shoulder. When I lifted her up she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck in her sleep. I had never been more happier than I was at that moment, feeling my little girl's heart fluttering against my chest as she slept in my arms.

Bella turned around for the fifth time in as many minuets. I couldn't blame her for wanting to look. I had angled the rearview mirror so I could watch Nessie who was fast asleep in her new car seat. She looked even more like an angel when she slept.

"Bella," I said, bringing her attention back to the front of the car. "Do you remember how often we drove this road home at night? All those times getting back after curfew?"

"We never got in trouble, though. Oh, you were out with Edward? That's fine honey."

I laughed at her impression of her father. I wondered if he would have minded me getting her back so late now. He probably would be waiting with his gun.

"Do you remember how you used to get scared of my driving and have to hold my hand?"

"It was worse at night," she shuddered at the memory. "Everything seemed to go even faster."

"You do realize that by doing that you probably made it more dangerous?" I teased. "Wouldn't it have been smarter for me to have both hands on the wheel?"

Bella thought about it for a moment, and then hit me. "Oh my god, you could have killed us!" She laughed. "I guess I knew," she sighed, leaning her head back on the headrest. "I just liked being close to you."

"Bella," I held out my hand to her. "I'm driving slow tonight."

Her hand was warm and soft in mine. Her fingers wrapped around mine and she brought my hand to rest in her lap, covering it with her other hand.

We had always held hands in high school. People said that it meant that we were going out. Bella and I were just close. I hugged her, I hugged my sisters. I admit that I never held Alice or Rose's hands, but I had never seen that action as anything more than platonic.

For some reason now, with my hand wrapped in hers, sitting in the dark with our child in the back seat, it all felt much more intimate. As I watched the road rush under us I realized that, after all that had happened, things would never be platonic between Bella and I again.

* * *

**Will Edward and Bella's relationship develop into something more, or will Edward ignore his newfound feelings for his best friend? Tune in next time for: A call from an ex and a run in with the police chief. Scary.  
**

**I know this chapter was short. I'll get the next one up soon. Chapter 6 is much longer, I swear. **

**Thanks for reading! :)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own _copies_ of the Twilight books, but sadly I do not own the rights.

**Summary:** Edward had a fuzzy feeling. What's gonna happen now? Why am I asking you? I'm the one writing this thing.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

A month had gone by. One blissful month spent with my daughter and my best friend. Bella and I were definitely back to where we had started. Of course we were both older now, and shared the responsibility that came with having a child, but it felt the same. Simple and happy.

I had been plunking away at my piano. I had been asked to write a jingle for some stupid commercial. My heart wasn't in it. I felt like a sell out but it was a lot of money and I had a child to support now. It wasn't the first time I would have been writing soulless corporate music to make a few bucks, well a lot of bucks. I just made sure that my agent had them pay me under the name 'Edward Masen' so that when I actually sold something worth recording these commercial days wouldn't come back to haunt me.

I couldn't help but stop to work on the lullaby that I had written for Nessie. I had found her listening to the one I had recorded for Bella. As a graduation present I had gotten that one song recorded. The old CD seemed to live in Nessie little flower stereo. When I told Nessie that I had written that she had asked me to write her one to. Of course by that point I was already half way through a song for my little girl.

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket. I closed the lid with a sigh. Bella and Nessie were visiting Charlie tonight, so I knew that they weren't calling me. The rest of my family was home. I had a feeling I didn't want to answer the phone. I looked at the screen and sighed once more. I had been avoiding this call for a while now.

"Hey, Tanya." I closed my eyes, cringing as I said her name.

"Hey sexy. You haven't called me in a while." She had her low sultry voice on.

I rubbed my forehead. "Yeah, I've been kinda busy. So, how's New York?"

"Fine," she sighed in an overly dramatic way. "How's Forks? Do you miss me?"

"Forks is good," I said, avoiding her second question. I definitely didn't miss her.

"Why don't you come back here? I've got plenty of room for you."

Yes, I was sure that she had space for me between one of her many boyfriends. I had been down that road before and was not proud of it. There was a time when being a part of Tanya's rotating schedule of boyfriends seemed appealing to me. Now the idea made me feel nauseous and kind of dirty.

"Tanya, I told you, I'm not moving to New York. I want to stay with my family." More family that I was originally aware of having when I left.

"Edward, when are you going to come back to me?" I could hear her pouting.

I had broken up with Tanya over a year ago and still got a bi-monthly call asking me to come back to her. I had always been one of her favorites. I wondered how many times I was going to have to tell her 'no' before she go it. I was so sick of her. I was disgusted that I had ever been with her, a fact that I hadn't even admitted to a single member of my family.

"See the thing is Tanya," I said condescendingly, "when I got back here I ran into my old friend Bella. You remember Bella; you used to hate it when I talked about her. It always made you jealous. Well I found out that four years ago I got her pregnant! I'm making an attempt to re-connect with her and get know my daughter. So I don't think I'll be coming back to the East coast any time soon." I new that I was being extremely rude, but Tanya was way past the point of deserving it. "Well, I should go, I like to keep the line open in case _the mother of my child_ needs to call me."

"I can take a hint Edward," she growled.

"No you can't," I laughed. I had gone from being a jerk to a complete ass. "I've been dropping hints for over a year, and yet you still call me. You couldn't take a hint to save your life."

There was a knock on the front door.

"Oh Tanya I got to go. There's someone at the door. It could be Bella with my little girl." I hung up the phone. I felt like the worst person ever, but I was glad for the fact that I had Tanya off my back for a while.

There was a knock again and I jumped up from my piano to answer it. I wondered who it was, everybody who ever came over here lived here.

I opened the door to Charlie. The heart attack had added a few years to his face, but over all he looked younger. Maybe a little grayer, but being married again seemed to do him some good.

I hadn't seen Charlie since I left and the last time he ever came over to our house was before Bella and I got our drivers licenses so I began to worry.

"Oh dear," I said out loud, moving to the side to allow Charlie to enter.

"So, you're back." I could read no emotions on Charlie's face.

I motioned Charlie into the living room. "Bella told you?"

"No, actually. Bella never tells me anything. I had asked my granddaughter where she got the dress she was wearing and she told me that Edward bought it for her."

I sat down on the couch and Charlie took the armchair near me. I began rubbing my head, preparing myself for the explosion that was sure to happen.

Charlie began without any prompting. He was always right to the point.

"You know, when I found out that Bella was pregnant, once I got out of the hospital I was ready to go and kill whoever had done this to my little girl. She would never tell me who, though. I was pretty sure that she feared for his life. At one point I thought it might have been you, but then I thought, no, Edward is a good kid. He loves Bella. He would never leave her like that."

Guilt boiled up in the pit of my stomach. I cringed at Charlie's words, feeling worse than ever.

"And then Nessie was born and everyday she looked more and more like you. Bella and I still never talked about it. She would never admit it. And I thought, wow, I must have misjudged that kid. I thought that he was a gentleman." Charlie's voice softened. "But then I realized that I hadn't misjudged you. You didn't know, did you?"

I shook my head, keeping my eyes glued to the carpet.

Charlie nodded. "I thought so. At one point when she was pregnant I asked her if she told you. I knew that you would have something to say about it. She said that she couldn't, that you would want to come back and take care of her and that she couldn't let you do that."

"When I found out she told me to forget about her and Nessie, to just go on with my life," I admitted.

"She's selfless that way," Charlie nodded. "Edward, I'm not mad at you, not anymore at least. I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just need to know if you're back for good. I haven't seen Bella this happy in a while and Nessie couldn't stop talking about you. I know that you're young and that Bella has given you permission to leave, but if you are going to then you need to do it before these girls get anymore attached to you. I don't want to see either of them hurt. If that happens then we are going to have a problem."

I looked at Charlie and with all honesty said, "I have no plans to go anywhere before Nessie is in college."

Charlie stood up and clapped me on the shoulder. "Spoken like a true father. You are going to take good care of my girls, now, right?"

I stood up and followed Charlie back to the front door. "I only hope that I can make up for the time I lost."

"You're a good kid, Edward. You always have been. Honestly, if anyone got my little girl pregnant, I'm glad it was you. You take care of those you love and you're the only boy in this town who has genetics worth passing on."

I laughed. Relief washed over me knowing that I wasn't going to have any problems from Charlie.

With a nod Charlie walked back out to his police cruiser and left.

Relief rushed over me. My biggest fear in the last month was what Bella's father had in store for me. Charlie was always a just man, but I had never seen him in a situation where his own daughter's honor was involved. I knew that I would not be so gracious as he was. I deserved much worse than the way people were treating me.

So far not one single person blamed me for what had happened. Everybody had understood. I didn't understand. I blamed myself wholly.

Of course, the more time I spent with Nessie the harder it was for me to feel guilty. I loved my daughter more than anything thing in the world. Bella and I had created a perfect little angel and it was hard to feel guilty about that. All I could feel guilty about was not being there for Bella when she needed me the most, which, truly, wasn't my fault. But I couldn't blame Bella now, could I?

Even if I could, I wouldn't have. I had been prepared to feel angry or betrayed in the beginning, but I was just grateful that Bella had given me this chance. After four years of separation Bella was still the best friend that I could ever have, the person I trusted the most, and the only person outside of my family who I loved.

* * *

**So he admits that he loves her... as a friend. Hmm... Well we all ready knew that. **

**So I admit that this chapter has little to no point. I just had an idea about what Charlie would do when Edward came back and I had to write it out. It was a little thin, so I added some stuff with Tanya. I wanted to show that Edward had a slightly different life during college. Even though it seems a touch out of character for this story, kids can get into some weird stuff at that time, I just wanted to show that in Edward. **

**Tune in next time for: Nessie meeting the Cullens and home movies of little Edward!  
**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

I couldn't help myself. I just had to get this chapter up. I love it so much.

**Disclaimer:** In my mind I own Edward, I don't give a crap about Bella.

**Summary:** Thus far we have Edward and Bella with a Nessie. Still not much on whether or not Edward is going to realize that his feelings for his best friend may have changed. Edward is frustrating like that.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

I paced around the house, organizing things like an obsessive compulsive. My family had no idea why I had been so uppity today, but they were about to find out. I checked out the window for what must have been the sixtieth time. Just as I turned away from the window I heard the thundering sound of Bella's truck coming up the driveway.

I rushed out of the house and was down the porch opening Bella's door for her before she even shut the engine off.

"Jeez, Edward," she rolled her eyes. "You know I hate it when you do that."

I smirked at her and ran around the other side of the car to help Nessie out of her car seat. I lifted her from the truck and placed her down on the grass. I smiled at the pretty white dress she was wearing. She looked like the little angel that she was.

"Wow," she said, her eyes wide. "You live here?" She pointed at the house.

"Yep," I nodded, taking her hand. I helped her up the porch steps. "Are you ready?" I asked Bella.

She looked scared. "No," she said, "but I think I am about as ready as I am going to be."

I smiled at her and guided Nessie through the front door.

"Mom," I called. "I've got someone here I'd like you to meet."

"What is it honey?" she called from the kitchen.

We met halfway in the dining room. "Mom, this is Bella's daughter, Nessie."

"Hi," Nessie waved at my mother.

Esme just stared at Nessie. I could see my mother's eyes beginning to tear up. "Oh," she held her hand up to her mouth. "Hello Nessie."

"Where's dad?" I asked my completely stunned mother.

"He's outside, oh, CARLISLE," she shouted for him.

My father was in the kitchen within moments. "What is it dear?"

"Dad, this is Bella's daughter."

Carlisle's face softened, he kneeled down and extended a hand. "Hello, Nessie," He smiled at her, shaking her tiny little hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

She giggled at him.

He stood back up. "Hello Bella," he said to the nervous wreck standing behind me. He gave her a one armed hug and she blushed.

"Oh Bella," my mother exploded. "I didn't even see you there." She wrapped Bella up in a huge hug. "Oh dear, it's been too long. Oh, don't you look beautiful."

Bella did look exceptionally pretty today in a powder blue dress that I had insisted that she buy for this occasion. It was the first time I had seen Bella out of sweaters and jeans since coming home.

"Thank you Esme. I've missed you all so much."

There was a lot of hugging and excited squeals as the rest of my family trickled in. Alice managed to set up a few dates to go shopping with Bella within minuets of her arrival. Rose couldn't take her eyes off of Nessie and Nessie couldn't take her eyes off of Emmett. Jasper kept to the back of all the commotion with me.

"She's beautiful," he said to me.

"I know," I said smugly. "Isn't she the prettiest little girl you've ever seen?"

Jasper laughed. "Yes, Nessie is very pretty, but I was talking about Bella."

I didn't get a chance to ask him to explain himself before I got dragged into the middle of all the commotion.

Nessie made me show her my room. I had been so busy in the last few months that it looked at though I had just moved in a few days before. All of my boxes were unpacked, but it seemed that nothing had yet found a permanent place.

Nessie was very disappointed by my lack of toys. I tried to explain to her the grow-ups didn't really play with toys, but she wouldn't accept it. I conceded and admitted that I did have one toy that I could show her.

"Whoa!" Her eyes were huge as she took in my piano. I got the feeling that she had never seen anything like it. "You play this?" she asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Did you write mommies song on it?" Bella looked astounded that Nessie knew the lullaby belonged to her mother.

"Yeah, I did. Right here." I tapped the lid of the piano.

"Can you play it for me?" She tugged me down onto the bench.

I pulled Nessie up on the seat with me and Bella went to lean against the back. She used to always stand there when she watched me play. She would lean forward on her elbows at smile at me as I played all of her favorite songs.

I hadn't played Bella's lullaby in years, but the notes flowed through me easily. I had never committed the lullaby to sheet music, never wanting anyone to be able to play it except myself. It was my song to her and her only.

Nessie watched in wonder as my hands worked the keys. Bella leaned against the body of the piano and looked dreamy. As I neared the end I transferred easily into the song that I had written for Nessie.

"This one is for you," I told her.

Nessie sat very still as I played her song. It was much happier than Bella's, but still soft and gentle. When I finished Nessie stood up on the piano bench threw her arms around my neck.

"Thank you, Edward."

I smiled as I hugged her back. "You are quite the inspiration."

Nessie hopped down off the bench just as Alice walked into the room with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

"Hey you three. I was wondering if I could borrow Nessie for a sec?"

"Sure," Nessie answered for us and ran out of the room after her aunt.

I laughed as the two disappeared and turned back to Bella. Her eyes were full of tears.

"Thank you," she said. She walked around the piano and reached out to hold my head in her hands. She kissed me on the cheek. "You are the most amazing man."

"It makes sense," I joked. "You are the most amazing woman in the world. How else would we have gotten the most amazing daughter?"

Bella took my hands in hers. "I haven't listened to that song since Nessie learned how to work the CD player without my help." There was sadness and a twinge of regret in her voice.

"I haven't played it since the last time I played it for you," I admitted. "I can't seem to bring myself to play it when you are not around. It always made me miss you even more than I already did."

Bella stood there holding my hands for some time.

"Hey," I pulled her down into my lap, earning me a squeak of surprise. "Do you remember when we used to do this?"

I turned Bella to the piano and set my chin on her shoulder. I played the first few chords of "Clair de Lune." Bella smiled and placed her hands on top of my hands and I moved them across the keys.

When we were younger I had attempted to teach Bella how to play the piano. She lacked the attention span but decided that she liked to sit on my lap as I played. It made her feel like she was playing the song.

As our hands moved back and forth across the keyboard Bella closed her eyes and began to hum the song. As the last chord rang out I brought my hands around Bella's waist. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against hers.

I don't know how long I just sat there listening to the sounds of our breathing. Having Bella back in my home made everything perfect.

Esme had insisted that Bella and Nessie stay for dinner. I'm sure if I had allowed it Esme would have asked Bella to stay forever. Part of me wished I had allowed it.

"I've missed your cooking so much, Esme," Bella commented after her third helping. "Everything you make is always so exquisite. Nessie is so picky, I can't get her to eat most things."

Esme laughed. "Oh, just like her—"

All eyes darted to the other end of the table. Nessie, completely unaware of our current conversation, was helping Emmett stick spoons on his face so he could settle a bet with Jasper.

"Just like Edward," Esme amended. "He was the pickiest little thing. But I found a bunch of recipes just for picky eaters. You can make anything, if you disguise it properly. I swear the most important thing to own if you have a picky eater is a food processor. If they can't see it, they'll eat it."

Rose laughed. "Yeah, mom was still mashing Edward's food until he was fourteen."

"Rose!" I turned red.

"That's right," Bella teased. "I can still remember her cutting up your meat for you."

"I had braces," I muttered into my chest. I was pouting like a six year old.

There was a clatter of metal on hardwood followed by Nessie's shriek of laughter, effectively ending that embarrassing conversation.

The moment Esme had said the words 'home movies' I knew I was doomed. Apparently my family had only just begun to tease me for the night. I tried to back us out of it, but Nessie became insistent, claiming that she wanted to see me when I was little.

Pretty much my entire childhood I had been followed around by a video camera. The videos began with some very shaky footage of me at age four clunking away at our old chipped upright piano playing a one handed version of "On Top of Spaghetti" and Alice and I fumbling through a rough version of "Heart and Soul." Seeing video of me at that age was frightening, Nessie looked more like me than I had originally thought.

Everyone laughed at the shots of me covered in my mom's makeup, courtesy of Alice. A six-year-old Emmett rolled around with laughter on the floor behind me calling me 'Edwina.'

"Hey," Emmett exclaimed. "I forgot that I used to call you that."

"Thankfully so had I," I muttered darkly. He had called me that stupid name until I was ten.

I heard waltz music in the background of the video before I saw the sulking five-year-old Bella. She was wearing one of Alice's old dress-up dresses. Alice had obviously done her hair and make-up. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her face was mutinous.

"That's you, Momma," Nessie shrieked and pointed at the TV from Alice's lap.

"_Why don't you want to dance with Edward?"_ Esme's voice said behind the camera. Behind Bella's head Alice and Emmett were whirling around in a very childish attempt at a waltz.

"_Because he's gross,"_ the tiny Bella shrieked, her fists clenched. _"All boys are gross. And Edward is the grossest! I'm never touching him!" _

Everybody laughed. Bella buried her face into my shoulder and covered her embarrassment with her hand until everybody stopped laughing. Emmett was laughing so hard that he had to leave the room for a few minuets.

Around age ten Rose and Jasper started to show up in the footage as well. There was this one brilliant moment showing the girls stalking Emmett in the yard from behind a tree. When he least expected it the three of them launched themselves out from their hiding place and tackled him to the ground. Emmett's shriek of terror had been priceless.

There was some video of a class project that Bella and I had worked on in seventh grade. We were supposed to do a short sketch explaining how photosynthesis worked. Bella was wearing a very large flower costume and I had stolen Carlisle's lab coat and glasses for the occasion. Bella made some stupid crack about how she had been feeling a little green recently and I went on to explain to her why she was green, obviously reading my lines off the clipboard that I was pretending to write 'plant Bella's' symptoms on.

There was a lot of video of me playing the piano. My favorite was me ecstatically playing "I've Got Rhythm" for a thirteen year old Bella who was lying on top of the grand piano, singing animatedly into a hairbrush.

"I don't remember this being filmed," Bella squealed.

Jasper laughed from the floor. "It was back when I was training to be a spy."

The last footage on the videotape was of our high school graduation. The yellow blur that was Bella rushed into my arms while jumping up and down shouting _"We did it! We did it!"_ Jasper's voice asked us what we were planning to do with our lives now that we had graduated. Bella and I both told the animatedly told the camera our plans for the future, keeping our arms around each other the whole time. The camera swung around to Alice who said in the most deadpan voice, _"I plan to take over the world with and army of pink vampire bunnies."_

The tape ended there and Esme turned the living room lights back on. Nessie had fallen asleep on the floor with her head in Alice's lap.

"Bella, look at Nessie." I said.

"Hmm?"

I looked down at Bella who had her head resting against my shoulder. She was most of the way to unconsciousness to.

"You are not driving home," I said.

"How I am I supposed to get there then?" she muttered around a yawn.

Before I was able to suggest that I could drive them home Alice said, "You and Nessie could just stay in Edward's room. He's still got a couch in there that he can sleep on."

"Is that okay?" Bella asked me.

"Of course it's okay," Alice answered, extricating herself out from under Nessie. "C'mon. I've got Nessie something that she can sleep in and I'm sure we can find something for you to." Alice pulled Bella out of my arms and up onto her feet. "Edward, bring Nessie up." Alice steered Bella out of the room and up the stairs.

With a sigh I moved form the couch onto the floor to kneel by the sleeping form of my daughter. She lay on her stomach. Her pale face was framed in a halo of copper colored curls. I brushed the tendrils out of her face and stroked the rosy cheek.

"Jeez Edward," Emmett crouched down next to me. "You and Bella sure made one pretty kid. A smart one to."

"Yeah we did," I said softly, I was too caught up in watching Nessie's shallow breaths to really pay attention to anything that Emmett had to say.

"You know, Bella still looks pretty good for being a mom."

I gave my brother an exasperated look. "She's only twenty-three."

"I know that. I'm just saying, Edward, Bella is still just as pretty as she was back in high school. Kid or no kid one day someone is going to notice and Bella wont be around anymore. You really should think about that. I mean, if I didn't have Rose and Nessie wasn't your daughter, well, I would not have a problem having the little tyke calling me 'dad' if you catch my meaning."

I rolled my eyes. "It wasn't a very hard meaning to catch."

"I'm just saying, maybe you should stop and consider who you want raising your daughter, who you want being with Bella, while you still have time."

"Goodnight, Emmett," I stopped him. I was too tired to be having this conversation. I slid my arms under Nessie's sleeping form and carried her up the stairs to my room.

My heart contracted when I opened the door. Apparently Alice saying that she could find Bella something to sleep in meant going through _my_ things to find Bella something to sleep in. Bella was sitting in the center of my bed wearing and old t-shirt and a pair of my boxer shorts. I had always loved it when my girlfriends wore my clothes. Seeing Bella dressed like that was no exception. She looked positively endearing.

I lay Nessie down on the bed and went to change my clothes in the bathroom. When I came back Bella had changed Nessie into the light green nightgown that Alice had bought for her. Nessie was still fast asleep as Bella moved her from the bed over to the couch.

"What are you doing?" I asked her as she wrapped Nessie up in a blanket.

"I just thought—" Bella stopped short. "Nessie doesn't toss in her sleep like I do and she's small. I just figured that we could share the bed.

For some unexplained reason my heart did a little flip in my chest. "Really?"

"Edward," Bella sat down on the bed and dragged the covers over her legs. "We're adults and, lets face it, we've done a lot worse."

I sat down on the other side of the bed. It was roughly the size of a small continent, so I figured that Bella and I would have plenty of room between us.

"Worse?" I teased. "I don't appreciate you referring to that night in such negative terms." I pretended to look hurt.

"Oh jeez, sorry," Bella said sarcastically. "I didn't want to harm your precious ego." She leaned across the bed and stared at me straight in the eyes. "It was the best night of my life. You rocked my world and forever ruined me for any other man."

I swatted at her playfully and she laughed. "Well, it's not like I've been with anyone since."

"Really?" I found it hard to believe that.

She shrugged. "I was a little busy with the whole being pregnant thing. And I wasn't about to bring some guy home after she was born. Where would I find someone anyway? Defiantly not in Forks, I can tell you that." She settled down near the center of the bed then reached out to pull me towards her. "Come here," she grumbled when she found that she couldn't move me.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm cold, Esme keeps this place like a fridge. You on the other hand are radiating heat at a nice toasty ninety-eight point six." She attempted to pull me towards her again and that time I let her. She snuggled into my arms. "Much better. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I mumbled into her hair. For some strange reason I could not seem to get my heart rate to slow down.

***

I groaned when the sun hit my eyes, telling me it was time to get up. I snuggled the soft warm body closer to my chest and sighed. I opened up my eyes and saw Bella's face smiling down at me.

"Morning," I managed to croak out.

"Morning," Bella giggled.

It took me several seconds to realize that if Bella was looking down at me then she was not the person I thought I had my arms wrapped around. I looked down at the tangle of bronze curls and smiled.

"You two looked so cute sleeping like that I didn't want to wake you," Bella said.

I stroked Nessie's hair back out of her face so I could watch her sleep more effectively.

"She must have crawled in between us during the night." Bella smiled, stroking Nessie's back.

"I guess so," was all I could say as I watched my daughter's eyelids flutter open.

She looked right at me and smiled.

"Good morning," I laughed.

She yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Good morning."

She crawled into Bella's lap, leaning her head on her mother's shoulder. Bella stroked Nessie's hair with a contented smile playing across her lips. The sight of those two, mother and child embracing in the morning light, still partially wrapped up in blankets made me want to get my camera, but the moment was to perfect for me to destroy by moving. I was witnessing the special bond between a mother and her child. It made me wish desperately that I could have been around for those early years and be able to share something like that with my daughter as well.

Eventually we got up. Bella grumbled about getting Nessie dressed in one of the other things that Alice had bought for her. Bella didn't mind gifts as much if they were for Nessie, but she said that it still felt like she was getting handouts. I reminded her that, no matter what the situation, Alice would be buying Nessie clothes.

I decided not to mention that Alice had also gone shopping for Bella as well. I couldn't stop my sister when she was in one of her moods.

The girls ran off to Alice's room to get changed.

Once I was dressed I wandered down stairs. Nessie was in the dinning room in her portable high chair eating waffles covered with strawberries.

"You look like a little vampire," I said to her, commenting on the red juice all around her mouth.

"Really?" she asked. She bared her teeth at me and attempted to growl.

"Yep," I said. "Everything but the whipped cream on your nose."

Nessie laughed and I was treated to watching her attempt to lick the whipped cream straight off of her nose. She was too cute.

Bella sat close, eating a bowl of fruit and thanking my mother over and over again for the stack of recipe cards that Esme had copied for her that morning.

"It's no problem at all dear. If you ever want anymore don't hesitate to ask."

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked, sitting down at the table.

"We're supposed to go to Charlie and Sue's tonight," Bella responded with a guilty look. I think that she was beginning to feel bad for me when I got left out of things.

"That's fine," I shrugged. "I have some work I need to do anyway."

"That's right," Emmett yelled from the kitchen. "Music for sell-outs doesn't just write itself."

"At least I have a job," I shouted back. "I'm not living off of mom and dad. Or Rose," I added.

"Edward," my mom smacked the back of my hand from across the table.

"Sell-out," Emmett called again.

"Freeloader."

"Boys!"

* * *

**Yay for teasing families. I had this little idea about Edward when he was a kid and I just had to roll with it. This is probably my favorite chapter in the whole story. I missed the rest of the Cullens. **

**So we finally had a bit more contact. Edward seems like he is going to ignore his feelings forever, doesn't he? **

**Next time: Watch as Edward struggles in the attempt to assemble children's toys. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**

**P.S. I really love reading your guys' reviews. It blows my mind that people actually like my writing. Thanks. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Possessions are fleeting. I own nothing

**Summary: **I think at this point you have a pretty good grasp at what is going on, right? Good.

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**Chapter 7**

They don't make children's toys like they did when I was a kid. Nowadays everything is made of cheap plastic and lead paint. Also when the box says, "some assembly required" they expect you to be able to put it together from the picture on the side of the box. Who needs instructions?

I was sitting on the living room floor of Bella's house attempting to assemble a 3D object from a 2D photograph. I stared at the hundreds of tiny plastic pieces that seemed to have no place or purpose except to confuse me. I glared at them, attempting to will them together with my mind.

Nessie kneeled on the outside of the minefield on plastic, tentatively watching me. I had been at this for nearly two hours already and what was assembled of the plastic configuration had been put together by my three-year-old daughter.

She sat there, already dressed in her purple Eeyore pajamas, watching my scowling. In truth, the only reason I wasn't swearing like a sailor was because Nessie was watching me so closely.

Bella sat curled up on the couch watching my struggle with an amused smile on her face. Whenever I would get frustrated she would giggle to herself, enjoying the fact that she wasn't the one forced to assemble this plastic contraption.

I picked up two pieces and attempted to force them together. They actually fit together but what they made resembled nothing on the box. It wasn't right at all. When I tried to separate the pieces again they wouldn't budge.

Bella laughed. I looked up to glare at her but the way her brown eyes were sparkling in the low light of the living room made me stop. She smiled at me and I found my face turning hot under her gaze. Confused by my own reaction, I resumed my struggle with the toy.

"Nessie," Bella broke the silence. "Come here for a minuet. I'd like to talk to you about something.

Nessie jumped up onto the couch and crawled into her mother's arms. "What is it momma?"

Bella measured her words carefully. "Nessie, have you ever thought about having a daddy?"

I the toy slipped out of my hands and broke into two pieces as it hit the hardwood floor. My eyes snapped to the pair embracing on the couch.

Both mother and daughter ignored me. "Yes," Nessie replied, a look of hesitation in her eyes.

Bella pulled Nessie closer into her chest. "Well, what do you think about Edward being your daddy?"

Nessie's eyes grew wide. She looked at Bella with disbelief. "Really?" she squeaked. "Can he be my daddy?"

Bella smiled coyly. "If you want him to be."

Nessie bounced in Bella's arms. "Can I call him daddy, and everything?"

"Well," Bella smiled at me, "you'll have to ask him first."

Nessie's head spun around. She looked like someone had just asked her if she wanted to move to Disneyland. "Can I, Edward? Can I call you daddy?"

I tried to laugh off my shock. "Of course." Truthfully, I don't think that I had ever wanted anything else more.

I heard a shriek and the next thing I knew I was thrown back into the bookshelf behind me. Nessie had her arms wrapped tightly around my neck; she was still bouncing in my arms. I closed my eyes and hugged her tiny body closer to me. I never wanted to let go of my little girl.

Nessie pulled back and smiled at me, her eyes glistening in the same way Bella's had. I was glad that Nessie got Bella's eyes instead of mine.

"Nessie, honey," Bella said tentatively. "You need to go to bed. Your bedtime was two hours ago."

"Can daddy take me?" Nessie's arms were still wrapped around my neck. Nessie said the word 'daddy' rather smugly, making me laugh.

Bella laughed to. "Of course sweetie."

I stood up on my shaky knees and carried Nessie over to Bella. Nessie leaned out of my arms and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight mommy."

"Goodnight sweetie."

Nessie leaned her head against my shoulder and I carried her up the stairs to her room. As we walked she asked questions.

"Are you going to live here with me and mommy like a normal daddy?"

"No, sweetie." For some reason my voice was thick with disappointment. I'm sure that Nessie could have heard it just as clearly as I did.

"Why not?" she whined. She wanted me to live with her and Bella.

"Because I live with _my_ mother. She wouldn't like it if I lived too far away." It was true, Esme just got me back and I knew that if I left again she would have a conniption fit.

I lay Nessie in the center of her bed and pulled the covers up around her.

"Daddy," she asked me. I was reeling from hearing that word said by her tiny voice.

"What is sweetie?"

"You were my daddy before tonight, weren't you?" Her voice was quiet and slightly muffled by her quilt.

I thought about my answer for a moment. "Yes honey," I replied honestly.

"You've always been my daddy, haven't you?" She said this so calmly, so like an adult.

"Yes." I suddenly became aware of the fact that nothing got past this little girl.

"Why didn't mommy tell me?" Her voice didn't sound hurt or upset, just confused.

I sighed and sat down in the old rocking chair. I wondered exactly how much Bella was prepared for Nessie to know. "I think that is a question that you need to ask your mommy." I didn't want to tell Nessie anymore than Bella had planned.

"Why weren't you here before?" She was asking difficult questions.

"I didn't know," I said sadly. I wanted to be honest with her.

Nessie considered this for a moment. "If you did know, would you have been here?"

My heart broke in half at the insecure way she asked that question. She wanted to know if I would have come back for her, if I wanted her.

"Nessie, if I had known I never would have left."

She smiled contentedly. "Goodnight daddy."

"Goodnight." I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"Can you turn my CD on?" she asked as I stood up.

I pressed the 'play' button on the stereo and Bella's lullaby came softly through the speakers. "Do you need anything else?" I asked.

Nessie shook her head.

"Daddy?" she said again as I was just about to reach the door. I turned to look at her. The hall light reflected off her eyes making them into two tiny bright pinpricks in the darkness. "I love you."

Everything in my world came crashing down around me. My daughter knew that I was her father, she was calling me 'daddy,' and she loved me. Nothing else in the world would ever matter.

"I love you to."

I saw a shadow of Nessie's smile she turned on her side and closed her eyes.

Downstairs Bella was cleaning up the toy fragments and putting them back into their box. I guessed that I could deal with them in the morning.

"You didn't have to tell her," I said.

"I know," Bella smiled, "but I was ready to tell her. I was ready for her to know." I could see some relief in the back of Bella's eyes.

"I think she already knew," I said.

Bella cocked her head to the side, curiosity in her eyes. I replayed my conversation with Nessie to Bella.

Bella nodded in agreement with my assumption. "Yes, it sounds like she figured it out on her own." Bell smiled wistfully. "She's a very smart little girl. She's probably known since the beginning. I can't get anything past her. She doesn't even believe in Santa Claus."

"I hope I didn't tell her anything that you didn't want me to. She was asking a lot of questions."

Bella nodded again. "Yes, I expected there to be questions. Thanks for giving me a heads up. I need to think about how I am going to explain things to her. You did the right thing, being honest. I always hated it when parents lied to their children. If Nessie asks a question she deserves to know the truth. Just because she's young doesn't mean that she's not a person."

I nodded in agreement. "That's the way Esme and Carlisle raised me."

Bella smiled, "And look at the smart, well-adjusted person that you have become."

We both laughed quietly.

"It's late, I should be getting home." I regretted the words as soon as I said them.

Bella's smile faded. "I guess so. I should get to bed as well, Nessie is a pretty early riser."

I went hug her. "Goodnight Bella." I placed a kiss on her forehead.

When my lips touched Bella's skin an electric current seemed to travel through my body. I became hyper aware of Bella's small frame in my arms. Her chest pressed against mine. The softness of her hair brushing the back of my hand.

She looked up at me through her eyelashes. Those brown eyes glistened under the florescent light of the kitchen. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. I felt the jolt of electricity again.

"Goodnight Edward."

It took me a moment to convince my arms to let got of her. "Goodnight Bella."

* * *

**Yay, Nessie knows. She figured it out pretty early on, she's just that smart. I was enjoying the mental image of Edward assembling children's toys. It made me smile. **

**So, only two more chapters and an epilogue left for you. Don't worry, it will all work out nice and pretty, that's how I write.  
**

**Thanks for reading ! :)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I own about a hundred books, but I haven't written any of them.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

I sat on my bed happily deleting names from my cell phone. I decided that since I was defiantly home for good there was no need for me to keep all of these girls phone numbers. I would never call them. There was only one girl I would ever call.

I paused and smiled over Bella's number. I had a brief urge to press the send button and call her, but I knew that Nessie was with Charlie tonight. That was the reason why I was at home, for once. There was really no need to call Bella. She was probably enjoying some time without me anyway.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Come in Rose."

"How did you know it was me?" the blond smiled from the door.

"I could here you thinking out in the hallway. I was wondering how long you were going to stand there before you came in."

Rose sat on the foot of my bed and crossed her legs, facing me. "What are you doing?"

"Abolishing all other women from my life. After today the only girl's numbers in my phone will be you, mom, Alice and Bella."

"That's so important that you need to devote a whole night to it?" Rose asked skeptically.

"What?" I asked, deleting Kate out of my life.

"Well, in the last month you only ever come home late at night and the rare times that you are here during the day you are working. This is the first evening you've spent at home in two months and you are up in your room sulking."

I glared at my sister. "I'm not sulking."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yes you are. You are sulking because you can't be with her tonight."

"She's my daughter, Rose. Forgive me for wanting to spend some time with her."

Rose smiled at me. "I wasn't talking about Nessie."

I threw my head back against the wall. "What is it with this family and there newfound obsession with Bella? First I get Jasper commenting on how pretty she is. Emmett tells me that I nee to 'catch Bella before she gets away.' And now here you are saying that I'm sulking because I can't spend the evening with her. If I wanted to be with Bella then I would. She's probably sitting at home right now reading 'Pride and Prejudice' or something like that."

"Edward, you're being defensive."

I opened my mouth to argue again, but knew that it would only encourage Rose's argument.

"Edward, be honest with me. How do you really feel about Bella?"

I didn't say anything. With a sigh I closed my cell phone and dropped it on the bed. This was a conversation that I had been avoiding. It was part of the reason why I was hiding up in my room. I knew that sooner or later this question would come up and I didn't want to answer it. Only Rose would come up here and ask me a question that I clearly did not want to be asked.

"I remember in high school, you two were inseparable. If I didn't know any better I would have said that you were in love with her then. Now you have a child with her."

I sighed again.

"Edward," Rose pleaded. "Why is it that you and Bella were never together back in school? Everybody always thought that you two would have been perfect together. Why?"

I rubbed my face with my hands, continuing to avoid the inevitable. "You know, they say that a guy and girl can never be 'just friends.' That at some point in time one of them will consider, even for just a second, something more. I can't speak for Bella, but I know that statement is more than true for me. Back when we were a lot younger I used to think, why not?" I shrugged.

"We were best friends, got along perfectly, and knew everything about each other. It just seemed so perfect. Well, one day Bella and I were talking about what we wanted to do with our lives. When I said that I wanted a family, she laughed at me. I asked her why and she said that she had no plans of ever settling down before she was forty. No two-story houses with white picket fences for Bella. When I mentioned kids, she just cringed. She hated children, wanted nothing to do with them. She said that you would never catch her raising some man's child." I couldn't help but laugh at the irony. "I decided that Bella and I wanted different things. I wanted a storybook ending and she didn't. I never really thought about it again. I took Bella away as an option."

Rose looked confused. "Edward, you two have a kid together."

"Yeah, I know. Weird, huh?" I was trying to be as blasé as possible.

"So why isn't she an option any more?"

Rose was asking me questions about things I had been trying not to think about. I thought about my reactions to Bella the night she told Nessie that I was her father, over a month earlier. I had felt something that night, something that worried me. Something that I had been feeling for even longer, but had been better at ignoring. Whenever I began to feel that way, when I looked at Bella in a way that was more than just a friend, I pushed Nessie to the front of my mind. But there were times when I forgot all about Nessie and only remembered Bella.

"Edward?" I had been gone in my own little world for a while. Rose kneeled up on my bed and placed a hand on either of my shoulders. "Are you in love with Bella or not?"

I tired to find words but was torn between too many different answers. "She doesn't want that life," I whispered.

"Well, like it or not she has that life." Rose sat back. "If you feel that way about her then maybe you should consider telling Bella. You could have a family, a real one. You practically live over there anyway, Nessie knows that you are her father and you do have feelings for Bella, I can see it in your eyes. They day you brought her over here you couldn't keep your hands off her."

"She was nervous," I clarified. I needed to justify all the touching, more to myself that to Rose.

Rose rolled her eyes. "For about five minuets. She was fine but you were holding on to her for dear life. We all saw the way you looked at her. It was never like that back in high school. There is no way that you are not in love with her. Nessie or no Nessie, you have feelings for Bella."

I covered my face with my hands. All of the feelings that I had been trying to hold back for months came flooding towards the surface. I was in love with Bella, I had to admit it. I had known for a long time that I would never look at another woman now that she was back in my life. Even when I had dated in college every girl was compared to Bella. Bella was the reason why I moved back to Forks, before I even knew about Nessie.

I looked up at Rose through bleary eyes.

"It's not a crime to be in love with the mother of your child," she said quietly.

"She never wanted any of that stuff. The life I wanted--it made her laugh." I felt guilty. I had forced her into a life that she had once cringed at the thought of. If I allowed my feeling for her to come to the surface, would I be pushing Bella even further into the life that she never wanted?

"Well, love is about compromise. And things change, you were just kids then. Bella is happy now that she has Nessie, maybe she could be happy with you. Maybe you could still give her part of the life she wanted."

"Change," I muttered.

I thought back to the night before I left. That magic night. We had talked about our lives and our plans and that night fate chose to laugh at them, but was it really so bad? Everything had changed that night. Bella's world and the way she saw it had been turned upside-down. Then the day I came back almost five months ago my life had changed to. That tiny little girl had changed everything. Were either of us really worse off?

I launched myself off the bed and out the door.

"Where are you going?" Rose called after me.

"I need to talk to Bella."

* * *

**Edward is finally going to do it! What will he say? How will Bella react? Will there be a happy ending? Find out in chapter 9, the last chapter of this thrilling series. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Last chapter. What will Edward say? What will Bella say? What's going to happen??? Oh, the suspense is killing me. Wait, no it isn't. I finished this months ago. The suspense is killing you. Ha ha ha!

**Disclaimer:** Alas, all I own of this is the sad little plot line that I came up with when I got really bored one day.

* * *

**Chapter 9  
**

I stood on Bella's porch, looking in through the window, feeling a bit like a stalker. Through the thin gossamer curtains I could see Bella stretched out on her couch. Just as I had suspected she was reading her ancient copy of "Pride and Prejudice" with a gentle smile playing across her lips. I could tell that she had skipped to the end, not by where the book was open to, but by the way her eyes flashed when she read certain lines.

Despite Bella's aversion to marriage she was a total romantic at heart. She had read Romeo and Juliet more times than our high school English teacher. The complete works of Shakespeare took up two shelves in Bella's bookcase. She owned leather bound copies of every Jane Austen novel (the ones she read the most often she also had copies of in paper back so she wouldn't hurt the old ones).

She sat there on the couch looking more like she had when we were teenagers since I had first come home. She was just wearing old pajamas and had her hair in braids. She didn't look like the mother of a three year old. She just looked like Bella. My Bella.

I briefly wondered if I was planning on talking to her or if I was just going to watch her through the window for the rest of the night. I wrestled with my fear for a moment before deciding that becoming a stalker was a bad idea.

I knocked on her door. She stood up from the couch and I felt nauseous. She peeked out at me through the kitchen window, she knew better than to answer the door at night before knowing who was outside. I waved at her nervously, my frightened smile betraying attempt to look natural. She smiled and opened the door.

My heart stopped as I took her in. I didn't know why, she looked no different than two minuets before when I was watching her through the window. Maybe it was because she was smiling at me.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" She let me in. "I thought I told you that Nessie was with Charlie and Sue tonight."

"I know," I said, suddenly feeling anxious. "I wanted to talk to you, but if this is a bad time I can go. I'll come back tomorrow."

I made my way back to the door but a hand on my arm stopped me. "No," she was still smiling. "Don't go. I was just sitting around reading. I'm just a little surprised that you're here. You usually only come over when you want to visit Nessie."

"Bella, I wouldn't," I rushed to explain myself. "I mean, yes I come over here to see Nessie, but I like spending time with you to. The only reason that I didn't come over earlier was because I thought that you might begetting a little sick of me."

"Edward," Bella laughed. "You are my best friend and always will be." My heart swelled upon hearing these words. No matter what, at least I could have her that way. "I could never get sick of you," she smiled.

I nodded at took several deep breaths. Bella immediately sensed my shakiness.

"Edward, are you okay? You look a little pale, even for you."

I waved it off. "No, I'm fine."

She still looked concerned. "Do you want something to drink or—"

I cut her off. "No, really. I'm fine."

Bella looked skeptical. "Okay, all the same I would feel better if you sat down."

I followed her into the living room. What had once been littered with toys and children books was clean and empty. The only evidence of Nessie in the living room were the pictures of her and Bella that I had taken in the last few months. The picture of the three of us from Port Angeles sat over the fireplace, a perfect family portrait.

Bella sat back down on her spot on the couch. She tossed her book off to the side, taking no time to mark her spot. She gave me a worried look. "Sit down."

I thought about her request for a moment, and then shook my head. I could not get my knees to work. "I'm fine, really."

Bella hugged her knees to her chest. "You said that you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"I do." My brain had a difficult time spitting out the words.

Bella cocked her head to the side, waiting for me to say something.

"I—I love you." The words rushed out before I really thought about what I was saying.

Bella laughed. "I love you to, Edward," she said with a smile. She didn't understand my meaning.

"No Bella," I said before I could stop myself. "I'm _in_ love with you."

Bella's smile faded to a blank face. I could see her brain trying to process my words.

"I came here to do what I should have done four years ago. I'm here begging you to marry me."

My words surprised even me. When I had come over I had no intention of asking Bella anything of the sort. My plan was just to express how I felt and then give her some time to consider the options. Marriage had never even crossed my mind.

The range of motions that crossed Bella's face went by so quickly that I could not pick up a single one. Finally her face settled on bewilderment.

"Edward," she stuttered out. "I told you. You don't have to—"

"Bella please," I sunk to my knees in front her. "Just let me say what I need to say."

I took her small hands in mine. They were so warm and soft compared to mine. As I held them I could feel how badly I was shaking.

"I'm not asking you this because of Nessie. I'm not asking because it's the right or honorable thing to do. I'm asking because I am in love with you. Since the night we created Nessie I've never for a moment not thought about you. I could never be with another woman without wishing I was with you. I never knew it, but I loved you then. I probably always have."

I hazarded a look into Bella's eyes. Her face looked confused and sad. Her lips parted slightly as if she was about to speak.

"I've come to realize that you are probably the only woman that I will ever love. No matter what, it will always be you, Bella. You are everything to me. I can't exist without thinking about you. You are in my thoughts, my dreams, everything. There will never be anybody else but you. One way or another you're stuck with me, so I'm taking a chance."

"I'm not asking you to be a housewife," I went on. "I would never ask you that. You could go back to school and get a degree, get a real job with the newspaper instead of just being their spell check. Or we could travel, the three of us. We've still got over a year before Nessie starts school. We could go anywhere you want to. We could even home school Nessie for a while and see everything. Anything you want, Bella, I'm willing to give it to you. I will follow you anywhere. I will do anything. You are my life. You and Nessie."

Her brown eyes were searching mine. She was looking for the joke or the sarcasm, something.

"You don't have to answer right n—"

Bella pulled her hands out of mine and stopped my mouth with her fingers.

"Yes." She said it so quietly that I thought I had imagined it.

"What?" I whispered against her fingertips.

"Yes," she said again. "I will marry you." She cradled my head in her hands. "What did you think I would say?"

"Honestly, in my mind the best case scenario was you telling me that you would need to think about it." I was in shock.

Bella smiled gently and leaned closer to me. "Edward, you silly man. Don't you know that you are the only man I would ever say yes to? Didn't you know that you were the only person that I ever considered settling down for? And it's not because of Nessie. I love you."

Sensing the truth in her words I felt myself on the verge of tears. She helped me up onto the couch and enveloped me into a hug. I buried my face into the curve of her neck, inhaling the sweet smell of her skin. She laced her fingers through my hair and pulled me closer.

She held me while my mind processed everything that had just happened. I had asked Bella to marry me. She had said yes. Bella loved me. Bella had said yes to spending the rest of her life with me.

"You love me?" I looked into her eyes, which were shining with happiness.

"Of course I do. Since you've come home I've dared to hope that you might feel the same way. Having Nessie made me realize that the whole kids thing wasn't so bad. And as I said, you are the only man that I would want to spend everyday with for the rest of my life."

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask. After all that I had put her through I still had trouble believing that she didn't hate me.

"You've been my best friend since we were eleven. You've always been there for me. You know more about me than I do. I can trust you with anything. We always have fun together. I'm comfortable around you. And lets face it, I'd have to be dead to not be attracted to you."

She started to say something else but I stopped her. At that moment I didn't need to hear anything. I needed her.

I kissed her for the first time in four and a half years. Her lips were soft and warm under mine. All I needed was her kiss to know exactly how much she really loved me. My tongue explored the insides of her soft velvety mouth. She still tasted like strawberries. She moaned gently as I pressed her back down into the couch.

Every curve of her body was pressed into mine. I could feel her heart rapidly beating in her chest. She threaded her fingers through my hair and pulled me closer. My hands slipped under her pajama shirt, reacquainting themselves with her skin. She shivered under my touch and I could not suppress a smile. I was elated that I could obtain a reaction from her after all these years.

"Edward," she said softly as my lips attacked her neck. "No matter how much I'm going to hate myself for saying this, I think we should stop before we get carried away."

Although that hadn't really been on my mind her statement shocked me a little bit. During out last encounter she had been the eager one.

She traced my face with her fingers as I looked down at her. "It's not that I don't want to," she explained. "I've wanted to since that day in Port Angeles. It's just that, it's been a long time, Edward. That first time, it was supposed to be the last time I would see you. I felt fine throwing away all my insecurities. But you've been with a lot of girls since, not that I mind, but it does make me a little bit more apprehensive. I've only ever been with you."

I wanted to tell her that none of that mattered, that I would rather that none of those other times had ever even happened. "I wish—" I began.

She stopped me. "I know." She knew exactly what I was thinking. "We have never been together because we felt this way. It will be different. I just need some time. I need to be with you before I can _be with you_."

"I understand." I kissed her on the nose and smiled.

I wasn't in any big hurry. I settled my head on her chest, just content to have her in my arms.

This was forever. We were going to be a family.

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**Yay! Wedding bells are ringing. So all that's left is a really short epilouge just cuz I wanted to have some kind of an ending beyond Happily Ever After. It's nothing much, but it's an ending. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	10. Epilogue

Short but sweet.

**Disclaimer:** One day I will own something, but it is time that I put these toys down and give them back to Stephenie Meyer.

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**Epilogue **

Nessie had screamed with excitement when we told her. Charlie, who had also been there at the time clapped me on the shoulder and said, "I knew you were a good kid."

Bella hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of getting married, but between my mother, my sisters, Sue and Nessie she was convinced to have a ceremony. Alice and Rose did all the work. They had been toying with the idea of becoming wedding planers and were excited to have someone to try it out on. I had wanted the wedding as close to the 4th of July as possible, giving Rose and Alice only four months to work with, they were not to happy with me about that.

For Nessie's fourth birthday all she had wanted was for me to move in. She had begged Esme for her permission for weeks and on Nessie birthday Esme gave me to her, complete with bow.

Bella and I decided to wait until the wedding to sleep together. Although sharing a room made it extremely difficult we did need that time to become comfortable with one another in that way.

On July 6th Bella and I got married on First Beach down at La Push. We were supposed to spend the next two weeks in Brazil, but Bella and I agreed that we would be spending that night in our meadow.

I watched Bella dance with her father. She looked radiant. Every time she turned she would smile at me and make my heart clench. I got to spend the rest of my life with her.

Nessie was dancing with Jasper, standing on her uncle's feet. Alice had found Nessie the most perfect flower girl dress. Nessie had gone on for weeks about how pretty it was but that I wasn't allowed to see it until the wedding because it was bad luck. The light green dress made Nessie's copper hair almost look red. She looked like a tiny Anne of Green Gables.

When Bella and I got back from Brazil we had to stay home for a while. Rose and Emmett were getting married at the end of July and Alice and Jasper were getting married in the middle of August. We had staggered the weddings exactly three weeks apart from each other. After the weddings we were going to travel, Bella, Nessie and I. We hadn't planned it out really, we were going to start with Europe and see how far we could get before it was time for Nessie to start kindergarten.

When we got back Bella was going to go to the community college to get her journalism degree. I had offered to move anywhere in the country, but Bella didn't want to leave Forks. All our family was there and we already had the house that I had bought from Charlie.

Although everything was out of order, Bella's life and mine had come together perfectly. I knew in my heart that from now on we would always have each other. We would always be a family. Even though it wasn't what either of us had originally planned Bella and I were finally getting our happy ending.

The End

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**Happy ending with butterflies and bunnies! I just needed to wrap the story up. I'm working on something new which I will try to get up ASAP, but I usually have to re-read anything five or six times before I decide that it's good enough for other people to see.  
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**Thanks for reading, and thanks for hanging in there with me. It's been fun! :)**


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